The Athletic Lists Pitt AD Heather Lyke as Candidate for USC Job

Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach believes Pitt Panthers athletic director is a good fit for USC.
The Athletic Lists Pitt AD Heather Lyke as Candidate for USC Job
The Athletic Lists Pitt AD Heather Lyke as Candidate for USC Job /

PITTSBURGH -- The USC Trojans have begun their search for a new athletic director after Mike Bohn resigned abruptly amid allegations of creating a toxic culture in the athletic department. As a result, USC President Carol Folt is expected to handle this next hire with extra care and in doing so, could try to lure the Pitt Panthers' athletic director away. 

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach named Pitt's Heather Lyke as one of a few of the top candidates for USC to contact, citing her toes to the Midwest and strong fundraising track record as attractive traits. 

"A former Michigan softball star, Lyke worked under [Gene] Smith at Ohio State and spent 15 years with the Buckeyes before becoming an AD herself for the first time at Eastern Michigan," Feldman and Auerbach wrote. "She has ties to the Midwest with intimate knowledge of the Big Ten, which would help as the Trojans make their move."

Lyke also holds prominent positions in Division I athletics as a whole, key for a major player like USC who has been at the epicenter of some of college athletics' seismic changes recently. 

"She is an excellent fundraiser who is highly regarded in the industry and serves in prominent leadership positions on a variety of boards and committees, including the Division I Council." Feldman and Auerbach wrote. "She is the current chair of the D-I Football Oversight Committee and the president of the Women Leaders in College Sports board of directors."

The six-year contract Lyke signed with Pitt is set to expire next year. She told local media back in late April that she had not yet engaged in contract extension talks with the university and Pitt spokesperson E.J. Borghetti added that they intend on keeping her in town for "a very long time." 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work: